The present invention generally relates to an electrical switch and more particularly to an electrical switch device which is capable of smoothly changing over its switching state through at least three steps of movement in each direction in a reciprocating operation, and which may be advantageously applied, for example, to a lever switch arrangement for use in a motor vehicle and the like.
Conventionally, in the switch devices of the above described type having a complicated structure including, for example, contact holders and holder members arranged to reciprocate on the contact holders, etc., there are such inconveniences that the contact holder to be advanced or returned during the stepwise operation and to be retained at the advanced or returned positions is undesirably moved or returned, or returning of the holder member is obstructed for some reason, so that the smooth functioning of the switch device itself is hindered to a large extent.
On the other hand, in the conventional switch arrangements, for example, a lever switch arrangement having the switch device of the above described type incorporated therein, there are also many disadvantages related to the operation thereof as described hereinbelow.
Generally, in motor vehicles, it has been a common practice to provide means so that signals or indications for right or left-turn of the motor vehicle are normally given, for example, by upwardly or downwardly operating a control lever provided in the vicinity of a steering wheel located forward of a driver's seat, and that in order to stepwisely change-over the lighting system from a completely turned-off state to a state where small parking indicating lamps or the like are lit, and further to a state where head lamps are illuminated, a suitable control member is provided in a position different from that of the control lever, such as another knob-like control member installed at a distal end of the control lever or the like.
The known arrangements as described above, however, have such drawbacks that, in the former in which the control member provided at the position different from the control lever operated for stepwise change-over, there are possibilities of dangers, since the driver has to even change his posture for stretching out his hand for the control knob located far away from the steering wheel, while in the latter in which the knob-like control member provided at the end of the control lever is to be manipulated, the driver must take his hand off the steering wheel, thus bringing about a hazardous state during operation of the vehicle.
For overcoming the disadvantages as described above, the present inventors have directed their attention to a conventional lever switch in which the control lever is adapted to be movable, besides in an upward or downward direction or a first direction mentioned earlier, to for example, a forward or backward direction or a second direction for changing over the headlights from the high beam state to the low beam state or vice versa, so as to provide an arrangement for controlling the lighting system by the operation of the control lever in such second direction. However, in the lever switch as described above, if the control lever is arranged to be held in each of the rotated positions after operation thereof in the second direction, it also becomes difficult for the driver holding the steering wheel to reach out his hand for the lever to effect the basic control, i.e. to give the right or left-turn signal in this case. Particularly, the problem becomes more critical in lighting control and the like in the which, as compared with the dimmer control involving change-over only in two steps, change-over in three or more steps is normally required, thus making it necessary for the driver to take his hand off the steering wheel for the control which is undesirable.